Great to be Different
by OrangeCatz
Summary: Sticky Wipplesnit simply can't take anymore of the pain she endures everyday for being a recolor, and decides to game jump. But can our favorite glitch change her mind? A sweet songfic with Great to be Different by Forest Rain. WARNING: it might just drive you to tears.


**Hello, everyone! Sorry I haven't been active lately :( So I was hoping this songfic would make up for it! This is pre-movie, when Vanellope's a glitch. I just thought that would make the story seem better. Also, the bits of the story that fit the lyrics are ****underlined.**** So, off we go!**

I was just a recolor; that's how anyone saw me. Sure, there were four of our kind around including me, but that only made it more confusing. None of the other racers treated Torvald, Nougetsia, or Citrusella as horribly as they did me. I never understood why, but my 'cousin' Minty Zaki always dropped subtle hint-bombs to let me know. They usually were this:

"Wimp."

_It was a dark day when I lost my faith._

_I wasn't the pony I thought I'd be._

One day I just couldn't take the teasing. It was quite a dark day when I lost all faith. I remember the batch of taunting that afternoon, even today. It had all begun when I'd accidentally bumped into Taffyta and made her spill the Pepsi she was drinking.

"Oh my goodness," I'd mumbled, "Taffyta, I'm so s-. " But the strawberry racer was already scowling at me with annoyance.

"Why don't you look where you're going once in a while!?" Taffyta had snarled, jabbing her finger into my arm, "God, Sticky! Why do you recolors even _exist!?"_

I'd felt my heart shatter. "T-Taffyta…" I'd whimpered, "Y-You don't mean that…do you?"

Taffyta, being the jerk she was, slapped me across my left cheek. "Of course I do, idiot!" she'd screeched. By then, Taffyta's rant had brought a crowd of racers over. I'd seen the three boys through my tears; Rancis kept blinking unbelievingly, while Gloyd grinned mischievously and snapped his fingers in a Z fashion. He'd appeared to be mouthing, "Oh no she di-ent!" But the thing that had really caused my water works to go haywire was Swizzle. He had his hand over his mouth, stifled noises coming from behind it.

Swizzle Malarkey, my crush since forever, was _laughing at me._

"I-I-I…"

"C'mon, Sticky! Quit bein' such a wimp already!"

Who was that? It was none other than the voice of my 'cousin', Minty Zaki. Of all the racers, she'd sounded the most exasperated. Even more, she'd sounded as if she were tired of me. Because that was pretty much her golden rule: Torvald was the incredibly mastered layer cake, while I was the ugly muffin at the bottom of the trash can. I simply wasn't the racer _anyone _had thought I'd be. Because I was a recolor.

I'd done the only thing any brokenhearted girl would do: I'd run off.

_And it seemed that no one could relate._

_There was nothing left for me to see._

I'd cried so much after that; I swear I'd pooled out more tears than I thought I even had. I didn't participate in the Random Roster Race, and it seemed like King Candy didn't even care. Not even our_ king _had thought me a worthy racer. No one could have ever related to how I felt that moment. The other recolors never got picked on like this…because I was shy.

Truth be told, I was more shy and nervous than Jubileena (even though she's more of the sweet type than shy type); I couldn't stick up for myself, always hiding in Minty and Torvald's shadows. I was way too nice and timid to do anything nasty, either, which usually led to Minty's 'wimp' taunts.

_So I took a walk to the edge of the town._

_Thought of leaving it all behind._

I soon decided that just sitting there crying was pathetic. Wiping my eyes on my sleeve, I trudged away. Only I wasn't walking back to my house; I started walking towards the very edge of the game.

Standing outside the entrance to Game Central Station, a thought buzzed in my teal-haired head; I could leave all this behind if I wanted to. One step through the gate, and I would be free of the taunting, the teasing, and most of all, the tormentors. _"They won't miss me," _I briskly told myself as I took one step forward.

_When I saw a little letter fall right out of the sky,_

_As a gray mare hovered way up high._

Suddenly, I heard a soft flutter of paper behind me. Looking behind myself, I saw a small letter fall down from a nearby Peppermint Tree. Briefly forgetting my objective to leave, I rushed towards the tree and picked up the letter.

"Hey," said a voice above me, and I looked up to see a raven-haired girl wearing a mint green jacket smiling at me as she rested on a tree branch.

I gasped; it was Vanellope von Schweetz, our glitch.

_I thought I was crazy when I saw her wave_

_And then simply fly away._

I guess I just stood there for a second, my mouth hanging open; I just thought I was crazy as she waved at me. "Hiya, Sticky," she said, smiling. I looked down at the letter in my hands.

"Um…" I said uncertainly. Before I even had a chance to speak, though, Vanellope simply said, "See ya around!" as she leapt out of the tree and ran off.

_So I opened the letter and looked inside,_

_And what was written made my day._

I raised an eyebrow; why had she just run off like that? I figured that she'd realized that glitches couldn't talk to other racers.

I looked down at the piece of paper. Shrugging, I opened it up and took a look. And I must say; what was written there brought happy tears to my eyes and made me smile.

_It said:_

"_Isn't it great to be different?_

_Isn't it wonderful to be exactly who you are?_

_When you learn to start accepting yourself,_

_You'll become a shining star."_

What the letter said made me turn tail and head back towards the racetrack; it made me so happy, I completely forgot my plans to leave the game. It said:

"_Dear Sticky,_

_I noticed how 'in the dumps' you were earlier. But before you think about leaving, let me ask you something: __isn't it great to be different?__ It doesn't matter if you're shy; you're still a racer, right? __Isn't it incredibly satisfying to know that this is who you are, and who you'll ever be?__ Trust me, I've felt too many times what you're feeling; the feeling of uselessness. But I've come to terms with my glitch status, like you should come to terms with your recolor status. __Because when you start accepting yourself, you'll be able to shine._

_-Vanellope"_

_I turned and saw her at my door,_

_That cute gray mare with the wall-eyed stare._

Vanellope's words brought me back to my own home. Some of the racers gave me weird looks, like they couldn't believe I'd dared to come back after what had happened earlier. But I didn't care.

Once I arrived at my house, I couldn't believe it; she was standing there, just outside my door; a cute glitch with her raven hair.

_She said, "I've heard you play and sing before._

_And I heard a sadness I could not bear._

"Hi," said Vanellope, smiling again, "You got my letter, I see." I stood there, dumbfounded; she must have had a lot of guts coming here, being a glitch and all.

"Vanellope," I squeaked, "what on earth are you _doing!?_ Do you know what Taffyta and the others will do to you if they-!"

"Find me here?" the glitch finished my sentence with a roll of her hazel eyes, "I've heard that before. I came here to talk to you, Sticky." She then put her hand on my arm, motioning behind herself with her other. "Can we talk somewhere more private, though?"

Five minutes later, I found myself sitting next to Vanellope on a Cliffside. I sighed and looked at her. "Erm, thanks for the letter, Vanellope," I said, meaning it, "It really made me reconsider going Turbo on everyone."

Vanellope giggled. "Well, I'd always seen you so happy before, except on today. Today, I just couldn't bear seeing you so sad."

_I just wanted to tell you that the hardest thing I faced_

_Wasn't the teasing or the pain._

_It was convincing myself I wasn't stupid, strange, or lame._

_And helping others do the same…"_

I turned to Vanellope. "So why'd you do it? The letter, I mean."

The glitch sighed. "Well, I just wanted to let you know that all the teasing and the pain isn't the hardest part," she admitted, "It was always trying to convince myself that being a glitch didn't mean I was stupid or lame." She rested her hand on my shoulder. "I wanted you to do the same. You're a recolor, Sticky; embrace it."

I smiled at her, tears coming back into my eyes. I took Vanellope by surprise as I hugged her, her code flickering a cobalt blue. "Thank you so much…" I whispered. For a moment, Vanellope tensed at my sharp actions before hugging me back.

"Anytime, Sticky. Anytime."

_These last few years flew by just like a blur._

_And now I'm exactly where I should be._

_And I know I owe it all to her;_

_That beautiful mare who believed in me…_

To this day, I can still remember her comforting words, even though the years in between were a blur in my head. My boosted confidence level has improved my racing skills, and first place is exactly where I should be. After all, I'd deserved it after all the pain I'd endured.

Personally, I think Vanellope deserves to be our president. After all, I owe my life today to her; that incredible glitch who had believed in me…

_Isn't it great to be different?_

_Isn't it wonderful to be exactly who you are?_

_When you learn to start accepting yourself,_

_You'll become a shining star. (Isn't it wonderful?)_

_You'll become a shining star… (Isn't it great?)_

_When you learn to love just who you are…_


End file.
